Cambridge Police Department Receives New Bulletproof Vests

(CAMBRIDGE, Md.) - Over a dozen Cambridge police officers received a new line of protection from a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the safety of law enforcement Monday morning.

Thirteen brand new bulletproof vests are among the latest collection of safety equipment for the Cambridge police department.

The department is the latest recipient of a grant from the Spirit of Blue Foundation which provides law enforcement with safety equipment and training needs around the country.

"They've been able to help us greatly. This is just an opportunity to increase the safety of the officers and make sure they have the right amount of equipment," said Lieutenant Justin Todd.

The state of the art vests are lighter than ever, weighing in just over a pound.

"What this does is it stops basically every pistol round that's out on the market," said Ryan Smith, the foundation's executive director. "It has special testing done that's called Special Threat Ammunition, some of the more destruction ammunition that you find on the market. It has a soft trauma pack that helps to absorb some of the energy."

The vests are also made of high quality materials to stop any kind of bullet dead in its tracks.

"These vests are made out of a number of layers of material, very high tensile strength material that are glued together to create a trampoline or a net that is very difficult for a bullet to penetrate," Smith said.

There are 46 officers on staff so not everyone will receive a new vest just yet.

"Many of the vests that our officers are using now are either expiring or have expired. To be able to purchase even one ballistic vest can sometimes be tough on a police department. So to be able to have 13 provided for us is a great thing," said Lt. Todd.

Spirit of Blue awarded the department with a $21,000 grant to purchase the vests which cost around $1,600 a piece.

A recent study by the Officer Down Memorial Page showed that of the 58 police officers killed in 2018, 28 of those men and women died due to firearms.